Archive for June, 2010

…do I hate the computer so much lately? I think it must be my job because as soon as I’m done I run down the stairs and don’t even want to think about the room the computer is in. Either way, we are getting through our summer list and crossing things off! We need to get moving a little faster though; only 5 weeks left! I will get onto the list in a moment.

First, a look at why the best investment we ever made, ever in our lives, was our swimming pool. I seriously don’t know what we would do with our summers if we didn’t have it and I would seriously miss this scene, which is practically everyday:

The games they make up, the grumpy moods it deletes and the exercise are invaluable. Now onto the summer list:

Killed 3 birds with one stone on this one: have a summer party in the backyard and watch a movie outside. What a fun night. If you have never done this and you have any opportunity to, do it! We rented Back to the Future which took care of “Rent an 80’s movie”. Now I’m looking forward to doing it again in the Fall, cuddling under blankets and drinking hot chocolate. Who knows, maybe that will be just a mom and dad movie night.

And those boys right there have been playing some serious flashlight tag. They let Kaiti tag along but I don’t know how much playing she gets to do (she is so tiny she hides where they can’t find her and ends up hidden all night which means she wins which means she doesn’t care).

He did it. He went and turned 14 on me. Traitor.

And then there was Nashville Shores. This isn’t actually a picture taken there but rather in the front yard on the way there, but I loved the look on Joel’s face and really want to know what Powell said under his breath right before I snapped the picture.

…beautiful Mazzy was born yesterday morning. Tiny and perfect and with those famous lips her momma, uncles, grandpa and brother have. This family is going to give the Jolie-Pitt kids a run for their money.

Daddy’s heart just entered unchartered territory up to this point and I don’t think he minds one little bit.

…that during one of the worst floods in US history Nashville only got 15 minutes of national coverage. WOW. Seriously, this was of Katrina proportions and we were just as unprepared. That isn’t to compare, it is to give you an idea of how bad it was. Please watch this video. Most of the pictures you see of homes and parks (and the two teenagers clinging to each other) are here in Hendersonville.

…through the poster’s list of things to do. This week: 6 items off the list (7 if you count something in my head that I didn’t commit to on the board).

Trip to the library #1. It was only Kaitlynn but she checked out the first 2 Little House on the Prairie books and that did my heart good. I loooooooooved Little House as a child and always secretly dreamed my dad would call me Half Pint.

Trace. Powell went. He came home fairly tic infested but we took care of that and now he is happily in….

…Destin with Alden. I am hearing periodically that things are going well if not sunburnt. So far only the top of one boy’s head and the shoulders of another. Thank goodness they listened and are actually using the sunscreen I sent with them.

Chocolate Pie (it is a favorite of all 4 people I live with)

And while I love chocolate pie, I really love coconut cream pie so since Doug was coming over and he loves coconut cream pie too, I made one just for good measure.

5. Sold PS2 and games

6. Kids Cook — see, every summer I have two goals for my kids in the life skills department. This year they are learning how to actually run the washer and dryer and cook dinner (from planning to shopping to cooking). They obviously get adult supervision but since they’re pretty adept at some things in the kitchen, I know they’ll be cooking on their own by the end of summer. For Alden’s night this week (they are each assigned one night a week) he made Chicken Parmesan and Asparagus. I have to say, he did 85% of this himself and I have to say, it was delicious.

Now I didn’t put crafts on the board because my intentions are always good but my follow-through in the busy days of work and play don’t always allow me the patience or energy to do it. But this week I did 2 projects with the Kati-cat.

As you can see, she absolutely hated it.

I am really loving having the list but not having it on a calendar. It is a much more relaxed approach and it’s fun not knowing what might happen on a particular day.

…but better than never. Gretchen’s shower. So excited to see this little Mazzy-bug (I hope I just spelled her name right) in a couple of weeks. Gretchen is a beautiful pregnant lady.

It was an eventful shower to say the least (think a call to 911 and a thunderstorm) but I am so pleased with how everything else turned out. The vintage tablecloths with daisies everywhere…

…the dresses I made for the baby…

…the pies…

…the banners looped and doubled up all over the deck rails…

…the globes and flower poms hanging from the trees (even though I don’t have pictures of those they made me want to have a wedding in my backyard one day). I enjoyed every moment of preparing and cooking for this shower and was so grateful to have help from Fran, Liz and Nancy.

I think we showered our momma with love and I think this baby is one blessed little girl to have such an extended circle of love welcoming her into the world not to mention the fact that her mom is a great role model for how to take everything in stride, love deeply and enjoy life.

…summer around here. It is official and the kids have been out one week. Their biorhythms have changed and sleeping in is epic this year; let’s just say they are sleeping like they’re being paid to do it. Here is the evidence of summer all around me:

This one….excited as all get-out to be done with elementary school and moving onto middle school. Don’t even get me started on his brother who is excited to be done with middle school and moving onto high school. I’d give you a picture of his big-ness too but he is gone on a camping trip (another sign that summer is upon us) and I don’t have a good, recent picture of him (don’t judge).

Sleepovers on Thursday nights. Definitely summer. ‘Nuf said.

The pantry bulletin board no longer holds school lunch menus and a bag full of box tops. It has the summer chore chart complete with a contract drawn up by Dad to ensure everyone knows EXACTLY what the deal is.

Poster ala Meg. I usually do a calendar for the summer with all kinds of things we want to do for the summer. I, like Meg, have found that summer goes much more smoothly when we’re intentional with some of our time each day. Because my work is appointment-based and changes every 24 hours, I can’t plan too much in advance. I thought Meg’s idea of a checklist would be great so it hangs on our laundry room door (2 things are already checked).

And finally an itchy bottom. I know. Niiiice. But poor Kodiak is allergic to flea bites. It doesn’t matter how good a flea treatment is, a dog is going to be bit and in his poor little pathetic case that bite turns into an allergic reaction and he can’t stop biting hit butt. Waking up to the nibbling is common this time of year…a telltale sign that summer has arrived.